Northwest Territories officials said on Friday evening that more than 19,000 people have fled from Yellowknife due to wildfires and urged those who remain to also leave as soon as possible.
The N.W.T. government on Wednesday ordered Yellowknife’s 20,000 or so residents to leave the capital city — and urged people who couldn’t leave by road to register for flights out of Yellowknife — as a nearby wildfire threatened to reach the city within days.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty on Friday evening again urged the roughly five per cent of residents who haven’t left yet to urgently do so.
I wonder why the remaining 5% of residents haven’t evacuated yet. Are they senior citizens that need extra assistance or poor people that can’t afford to go anywhere? Or are they people that think the wildfires aren’t that bad or dislike the big government telling them what to do?
Apparently the government has been quite organised in airlifting folks out but demand was obviously high so the queues were long. They’re not leaving people over money though. My sister lives there and got out by plane about 10 hours ago.
I’d imagine the process is still ongoing though and the support staff on the ground coordinating things will be the last to go.
She didn’t mention anyone deliberately trying to stay behind but I can ask if you’re really curious. She’s currently asleep.
From the article:
“Those who remain are either trying to protect property or are essential workers who have to stay behind.”